The Cleveland Browns’ pursuit of Deshaun Watson will now go down in infamy.
Not only did it set the team back with the myriad of draft picks they had to give up for him, but it hurt their ability to revamp their roster because of the financial implications of his contract, and the team got plenty of backlash because of the decision to go after a player facing so many serious accusations.
However, it also, according to multiple reports, disrupted the locker room as the years went by.
With that in mind, NFL insider Jason Lloyd investigated the team’s pursuit of its franchise quarterback.
Talking to Ken Carman and Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan, Lloyd revealed that even though the entire decision-making team was fully on board with this move, it mostly involved Andrew Berry.
Who was really behind the #Browns pursuit of Deshaun Watson and the decision to go 'all-in'?@ByJasonLloyd went in-depth with all of that with @KenCarman and @SportsBoyTony this AM
🔊 Full audio: https://t.co/S6I243WHUW pic.twitter.com/gKGmbOF1r8
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) January 16, 2025
He claimed Berry had always been a fan of Watson’s game, adding that he had been scouting him since his days with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lloyd added that the Browns’ organization had come to terms with the fact that they couldn’t trust Baker Mayfield.
They had reasons on and off the field to feel uncomfortable about him.
Since other teams were aggressively trying to acquire Watson, the team decided to do whatever it took to secure him, considering this a unique opportunity.
From a football perspective, this was supposed to work.
In hindsight, they would’ve been better off with Mayfield.
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